Blood In The Snow
by GeorgiaDawg99
Summary: Takes place after The Rift and the new comic trilogy, Smoke And Shadow. Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Suki all go visit the Southern Water Tribe. However, what was planned to be a happy family reunion soon turns to another mission for the avatar once people start disappearing. What is going on? Will those who have been taken ever be found again? A lot of Kataang and some Sukka too.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender.**

 **Author's Note: So, I am having writer's block with my other story, Avatar High. But I just got this great new idea for this story. This takes place a little bit after The Rift and the new series, Smoke And Shadow. Ages are as follows.**

 **Aang: 15**

 **Katara: 17**

 **Sokka: 18**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

"Look! The Southern Lights! We are almost there!" Sokka shouted back from Appa's saddle. Katara and Aang, who were sitting on Appa's head, looked up to see an array of colors dancing in the night sky.

"Wow," Aang said breathlessly.

"I know," Katara murmured, "I've been gone from home for so long that I'd forgotten just how beautiful the Southern Lights are."

"Well, they are beautiful, but they've got nothing on you," Aang said smiling. Katara blushed and Aang put an arm around her, pulling her closer to his side.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Aang asked her as she enjoyed the close proximity to him.

"Only every day," Katara said, chuckling softly.

"Well, I'm gonna say it again anyways," Aang told her smiling, "Katara, I love you. So much."

Katara kissed him in response, pulling away only long enough to respond.

"I love you too Aang, and I always will."

Their kisses were soft and gentle. Aang pulled Katara into his lap so that he could be even closer to her. He kept one hand on the small of her back, the other resting behind her head as he deepened the kiss. Katara had her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist.

"Whoa whoa whoa! What do you two think you doing?"

Aang and Katara reluctantly parted to see Sokka scowling at them from where he was looking at them over the edge of Appa's saddle.

"Oh, come on Sokka. Leave them be. They're sharing a moment together, just the two of them. Besides, it's not like we haven't been doing the same," Suki said from behind Sokka, coming to the defense of Aang and Katara. Sokka's face turned red at Suki's last statement.

"B-but this is different!" Sokka stammered, flustered.  
"Is it really?" Suki said.

"Yes!"

"How?"

"They…he…she…erm, it just is!" Sokka said, knowing he was losing this battle.

"Come on back here Sokka, and we can continue with our own little moment," Suki told him. Sokka took one last look at Aang and Katara, who had both sat silently this whole time, and gave a gruff "Fine." He climbed back in the saddle with Suki leaving Aang and Katara free to go back in their own little world together.

"Sorry about my brother," Katara said.

"It's okay. He just cares about you and wants to protect you," Aang reassured her, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face.

"I know, but I don't get why he thinks he has to protect me from you. You would never hurt me."

"I don't think Sokka thinks that. I think he mainly is just having a hard time dealing with the fact that his little sister is growing up."

Katara looked at him and gave him a small smile.

"How did you get to be so wise?" she murmured.

"I don't know. Must be an avatar thing," Aang said grinning before capturing her lips with his once more.

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Little shouts of "They're here!" came from all around as Appa landed in the Southern Water Tribe. Sokka helped Suki down from Appa, and Aang did the same with Katara. They were suddenly enveloped in a swarm of people in fur coats all talking at once.

"Katara and Sokka are back!"

"Wow, I can't believe two of our own helped end the war!"

"Look! The avatar!"

"Do you think they've missed us?"

"I cannot believe it! The avatar, in our village!"

One voice rose above the rest.

"Katara. Sokka."

"DAD!" both siblings shouted simultaneously. They ran into their father's open arms happily.

"Dad, I've missed you," Katara murmured into her father's fur coat.

"I've missed you too. Both of you," Hakoda said, tearing up a little.

When the three finally ended their embrace, Hakoda walked over to Aang and Suki with a smile.

"Suki. Aang. It's good to see you too again." He grasped Aang's hand in a firm handshake, then hugged Suki.

"Good to see you too Chief Hakoda sir," Aang said brightly. Hakoda chuckled.

"You can just call me Hakoda. I assume you've been treating my daughter well?"

"Yes sir, Chief- erm, I mean Hakoda." Aang said

"Good. And I believe you based on the fact she's never looked more happy then when she's with you."

Both looked over at Katara to see her smiling as the members of her tribe surrounded her, all welcoming her back.

"Well," Hakoda said grinning, "Go on over there and join her." Aang grinned and ran over did just that. Hakoda watched them with a smile. _"Oh, Kya. Our daughter has grown up so much. Not only did she help end a century old war, but she also managed to find love doing so. I wish you could see her now. She reminds me so much of you,"_ the Water Tribe Chief thought.

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Katara smiled and laughed as all the village boys, now much bigger than they'd been when she left, tackled Sokka to the ground. Aang stood beside her, holding her hand and sporting that goofy grin she loved so much. She couldn't help but lean over and plant a kiss on his cheek. Aang looked at her, the goofy grin growing even wider.  
"What was that for?" he asked.

"Why, did you not like it?" Katara asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms. Aang laughed.

"Katara, when have I not liked one of your kisses?" He then took her by surprise, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him, and pressing his lips up against hers all in one smooth motion. Everyone went silent in shock as they watched the avatar and Katara kiss. Then, someone started to clap. Soon enough, the whole tribe was clapping and cheering. As the kiss slowly came to an end, a familiar voice reached Katara's ears.

"So, my little waterbender not only helped end a war, but found love as well."

Katara turned, a huge smile covering her face.

"Gran Gran!" she shouted, rushing over to the old woman and hugging her tightly.

"You've grown so much," Kanna said to her granddaughter. At this point Sokka had escaped the village boys and was now heading over with Suki.

"Hey Gran," Sokka said grinning. Kanna pulled him into the hug too. The three hugged for a long time before separating. Kanna then caught sight of Suki.  
"And who might this be?" she asked smiling.

"Gran Gran, this is my girlfriend, Suki," Sokka said smiling.

"So, not only has my little waterbender found love, but my brave little warrior has found someone as well."

"C'mon Gran, I'm not that little anymore," Sokka protested.

"You'll always be little to me," Kanna said. She then turned to Suki.

"It's nice to meet you Suki. I am Sokka and Katara's grandmother. You can call me Gran Gran."

"It's nice to meet you," Suki said, "Sokka's told me a lot about you."

Kanna then turned to Aang.

"It's good to see you again Avatar. I must apologize for how things ended last time you were here."

"Don't worry about it. I was a stranger and a war was going on. I'd probably think I was a spy too if I was in your position," Aang told her.

"Well, I'm glad you understand. And I see you are now dating my granddaughter."

Aang blushed.

"Yes mam, I am."

"I'm sure you'll take good care of her," Kanna said smiling, "Now why don't we all head over to my igloo for dinner. I'm making stewed sea prunes."

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After a dinner of stewed sea prunes (and soup for Aang who did not like stewed sea prunes), Pakku came in through the door. He walked over to Kanna and kissed her cheek delicately.

"Hello dear," he said.

"Welcome back. Would you like some stewed sea prunes dear?" Kanna replied. Pakku nodded and Kanna gave him a bowl, ladling some of the meal into it.

"Katara, Sokka, Aang, Suki, it's good to see you all again," he said smiling.

Katara got up and hugged him.

"Good to see you too Master Pakku," Aang said, standing up and bowing.

"Do you like the changes we've made to the village?" Pakku asked once everyone has sat back down.

"Yes, they look great!" Katara said happily.

"I'm glad," Pakku said, "I've also brought some young waterbenders from the Northern Tribe. They are going to live here and help bring waterbending back to the Southern Water Tribe."

"That's wonderful! How many are there?"

"Around twenty four of them. And at least half of them are girls."

"So, you've decided girls deserve just as much of a chance to learn waterbending as boys?" Katara asked him.

"Yes. You showed me that girls can be just as talented and strong and deserve just as much of a chance to learn waterbending as boys do."

"I'm glad you've realized that. I really am."

"If you want to come help out with the class sometime while you're here, let me know. I'm sure the kids would love to learn from the famous waterbending master who trained the avatar and defeated Princess Azula," Pakku told her.

"I'm not that big of a deal," Katara said meekly.

"Yes, you are. Not only did you master waterbending quicker than anyone I've ever known, but also helped end a war at age fourteen. And even after the war, you've continued to go around and help people."

"He's right you know," Aang said, giving her hand a squeeze, "You are amazing."

Katara smiled at Aang, then turned back to Pakku.

"Okay. I'll come visit you class sometime while we are here."

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As the Katara and Sokka enjoyed being reunited with their family, a dark figure stood outside the village boundaries, the moon shining above them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long guys. I've been struggling with some personal issues lately. That's also the reason for the lack of updates with Avatar High. I have a plan for that story, but haven't been able to right it out because I just haven't been, well, inspired enough I guess. I promise I will eventually update that story though. I don't know when though because I am still dealing with some personal stuff. I hope you all understand and enjoy the second chapter of this story in the meantime. As always reviews are appreciated.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender.**

Katara awoke to a delicious smell drifting into her room. She rolled out of her bed and shivered. She'd been gone from the South Pole for so long that she had forgotten how cold it was there. She slipped out of her nightgown and traded it out for her usual pants and tunic. After pulling on her boots, Katara walked out into the kitchen. There, her Gran Gran stood hunched over a pot that seemed to be the source of the smell that had woken her up. Her grandmother turned around, her eyes brightening when they landed on Katara.

"You're awake my little waterbender!"

"Good morning Gran Gran," Katara said smiling, "What are you making?"

"Oh this? This is just an old recipe I happened to remember from my days in the Northern Water Tribe. Would you like some?"

"Sure." Katara walked over to the pot and Kanna scooped a ladleful of what looked like porridge into a bowl.

"It looks a lot like porridge," Katara observed. Kanna chuckled.

"Just try it."

Katara scooped a spoonful into her mouth, letting the flavors wash over her. It tasted of honey and some other flavor Katara could not identify.

"This is delicious Gran Gran! What's in it?" she exclaimed once she'd swallowed.

"It's a secret," Kanna said smiling.

As the two ate, they chatted about various things that had occurred while the two were away from each other. Katara told her grandmother some of the gaang's best adventures and in return, Kanna told Katara about the re-building of the Southern Water Tribe. Then Katara asked grandmother how she and Pakku were doing.

"We are doing wonderful, and I think I owe part of that to you," Kanna said smiling.

"What? Why me?"

"You were the one that changed his attitude towards women," Kanna said chuckling, "Now he's not as much of a sexist pig-chicken." Both laughed at this. Then Kanna spoke again.

"How about you and Aang? I would love to hear about you two."

Katara blushed a little and started to twirl a loose lock of hair around her finger.

"Aang and I are doing great Gran."

"What is he like? I only know him as the almighty avatar, although he seems to be quite the gentleman."

"Oh, he is. He's so sweet and caring. He always put's my needs before his own even when he doesn't have too. He selfless and brave and would do anything for me as he has demonstrated through his actions multiple times. He's handsome and when he gets excited he gets this adorable sparkle in his eyes. He's always complimenting me even when I don't deserve it. He always knows exactly how to make me feel better when I'm feeling down and can cheer me up when no one else is. He's so brave and strong and smart…" Katara trailed off, caught up in her thoughts about Aang. Her grandmother cleared her throat after a few minutes and Katara snapped out of her thoughts.

"Oh! Uh, sorry Gran Gran. I guess I got, erm, distracted," Katara said, blushing. Her Gran Gran chuckled.

"It's quite alright dear."

"Um, Gran Gran?"

"Yes Katara?'

"Do you actually know where Aang is? He is usually up by now. Actually, he usually gets up around the same time I do."

"Yes, I actually do happen to know where he is. He woke up about ten minutes before you did and said something about going out to meditate," Kanna said.

"Ok. Thanks Gran Gran. I think I'm gonna go take him some breakfast."

"Well, go on then. I'm glad we've gotten to catch up like this."

"Me too Gran Gran," Katara said smiling. She gave her a grandmother a hug before pulling on her fur coat and grabbing a bowl of the porridge looking stuff her grandmother had made. Then, after thinking for a moment, she grabbed a blanket, just in case Aang was cold.

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Katara found Aang sitting up on Appa's head, his eyes closed and a serene expression on his face. He breathed in and out slowly, his chest rising and falling with each fresh breath of air. Katara smiled at his calm figure. Some people would get bored watching someone meditate, but Katara loved to watch Aang do it. There was just something so calming about it. She climbed up on Appa, and sat down beside him, careful not to disturb his meditation. She watched the steady rise and fall of his chest and tried to match her breathing with his. She then crossed her legs like he was doing and rested her hands on them. Taking a deep breath, Katara closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind as Aang had explained was done in meditation.

Sensing a presence beside him, Aang opened his eyes to see Katara in a meditation pose. He smiled softly and feeling his gaze, Katara opened her eyes back up and turned to look at him.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," she said back, smiling. She then remembered the blanket and breakfast.

"Here," she said grabbing the bowl and spoon and handing it to him, "Gran Gran made breakfast. Also, I brought you a blanket in case you were cold." She draped the blanket around his shoulders and Aang smiled.

"How did I manage to get so lucky and have you as my girlfriend?"

Katara smiled, a rosy blush tinting her cheeks.

"How did I get so lucky and get to have you as my boyfriend?" she asked in return. Aang chuckled softly and pulled her towards him so that they were both under the blanket's warmth.

"How about we just say we are both very lucky people to have found each other?" he said to her, his breath tickling her ear.

"Deal," Katara said giggling. Aang wrapped both of his arms around her planted a kiss on her head. Katara smiled and snuggled up against him.

"I love you Aang," she whispered.

"I love you too Katara."

Katara angled her head to kiss him, but right before their lips could connect, a snowball hit Aang. Aang looked around in shock. His expression was just so priceless, that Katara couldn't help but laugh. Aang's eyes finally landed on a group of giggling young kids.

"Who threw that?" he asked, jumping down from Appa. The two boys who stood at the front of the group both pointed at each other.

"Well, you should know never to throw a snowball at the avatar and his master waterbender girlfriend," Aang said smirking. He then waterbended some snow at the two boys. All the other kids laughed as the boys got covered in snow. One of the two boys shook off the snow and grinned.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" he yelled. All the others ran to take cover, giggling and squealing all the way.

"Katara, come down here! I need back-up!" Aang called up Katara as snowballs started to bombard him. Katara giggled at the sight of the almighty avatar getting pelted with snowballs. She decided to come to her boyfriends aid and jumped down to help him out.

"Thanks sweetie," Aang said to her, sporting that goofy grin of his that Katara loved so much. Katara grinned back at him.

"Why don't we show these kids just how good two master waterbenders are in a snowball fight?"

Aang's grin grew even wider.

The two rushed out to where the kids were taking refuge, bending snow and every direction. Squeals came from the kids as they tried to escape. Soon everyone was laughing and covered in snow. Then, as Katara and Aang were running from some of the kids, laughing and smiling, Katara slipped. She fell into Aang and both of them tumbled down to the ground. Katara landed on top of him and all the other kids laughed, but Katara just stared quietly into Aang's eyes, suddenly caught up in her own little world. Aang grinned at her, his bright eyes sparkling with warmth. Katara couldn't help but close the remaining distance between their lips and kiss him. The kids went silent. Aang closed his eyes, kissing her back. One of his hands tangled itself in her hair, the other wrapped around her waist. The warmth from each of their bodies was more than enough to protect them from the coldness of the snow. When they pulled back, Katara rested her forehead against Aang's. She was smiling.

"Hi," she murmured softly.

"Hi," he murmured back, a happy smile covering his face. They stared happily into each other's eyes, losing track of time as they got caught up in the love they felt for each other.

"Hey lovebirds. I don't mean to interrupt you kissie-face fest or anything, but Pakku is looking for Katara."

Katara and Aang looked up to find an annoyed looking Sokka. Around him, the little kids giggled. Katara got up off of Aang, brushing off some snow that had collected on her fur parka. Aang airbended himself up and followed in suit by brushing the snow of his own parka (which had been given to him upon his arrival). They said goodbye to the young children who had already started a new game, then, Sokka led Katara and Aang to a big igloo. Katara pushed the curtain that hung over the entrance and Aang went to follow, but was stopped by Sokka.

"Nuh uh loverboy. You're coming with me. The last thing Pakku needs is his guest waterbending teacher to be distracted by her boyfriend," Sokka said, waggling a finger in front of Aang's face.

"What are we doing then?" Aang asked as Sokka led him away from the igloo where Pakku and his students were.

"Well, since Suki is helping Gran Gran out with some stuff around the house, my dad and I figured that you, me, and him could all have some man to man time."

"Oh, okay," Aang said.

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Katara's eyes grew wide as she walked through the curtain and stepped into the large igloo. Inside, students gathered around an ice platform with fountains full of water at each end. On the platform, two students sparred as Pakku oversaw them, giving out directions and advice every few minutes.

"Kaito! Don't try and go against the water! Flow _with_ the water. That is the very concept of waterbending. If you do not understand that, you will never be a true master," he called out to one of the two sparring students, a boy that looked around ten or eleven and had ruffled dark brown hair. A boy the crowd snickered and Pakku gave him an icy glare.

"Don't you laugh Ikei. You were doing the very same thing when you were sparring with Miki earlier," Pakku told him, motioning to a girl who looked around thirteen and had long black hair. The girl called Miki gave Ikei a smirk and Ikei scowled. Then Pakku noticed Katara standing at the entrance.

"Ah. There you are. Come on over," he said, motioning for her to join him where he stood on the platform, "Kaito, Anana, please sit down." The boy and girl who had been sparring bowed to him and walked off the platform to join their fellow students.

"Class, today we have a very special guest. How many of you know about Master Katara?"

Everyone raised their hands.

"That's what I thought. Now can someone name some of her accomplishments?"

Several students once again raised their hands.

"Arrluk?" Pakku said, calling on one of his students.

"She taught the avatar most of his waterbending," the boy who had been called on stated.

"That's correct. What else? Nukka? What about you?"

"She fought that crazy Fire Nation princess, didn't she?" a girl with dark brown hair pulled up into a bun said.

"Yes. She did fight Princess Azula and defeated her. What about you Sisi? What is another one of Master Katara's accomplishments?"

A bored looking girl looked up from where she'd been talking to her friends.

"Well, she's dating the avatar, isn't she? I'd say that's an accomplishment."

Sisi's friends giggled, and Sisi smirked. Pakku sighed in exasperation and rubbed his temples.

"Must you face every situation with such sarcasm Sisi?" he said, obviously irked by her behavior.

Before Sisi could answer though, Pakku motioned for Katara to step forward.

"As many of you know, Master Katara and her brother, Sokka, are here visiting home. Avatar Aang and Sokka's girlfriend, Suki, are here as well, so if you see them, be sure to treat them with respect," he told them, looking especially at Sisi during the respect part. He then continued.

"Master Katara has agreed to come in and help out with some of my classes. I expect all of you to treat her with as much respect as you do for me, if not more."

"Yes Master Pakku," the students chorused.

"Now, Katara, would you perhaps like to give a demonstration to the students?"

"Sure," Katara said smiling. Pakku stepped off the platform to allow Katara as much room as she needed. Katara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She focused on the water all around her. The snowy ground, the ice platform, the water in the fountains. She took it all in. Then, in one fluid motion, she opened her eyes and pulled the water out of one of the fountains towards her. The water obeyed, smoothly flowing through the air in the direction her hand commanded it to go. She then brought out another stream of water from the second fountain. The two streams of water seemed to dance together as Katara moved her hands in a series of complex motions. They then combined into one larger blob of liquid. Katara manipulated the larger stream, making it rise up then dive back down and swirl around her. She pulled more water out of the fountains to join what she already had and brought it around her in a whirlpool. She manipulated the large whirlpool so that it lifted her up into the air. The students oohed and awed as she did so. Katara then dissolved the whirlpool, and split the water into two separate streams, each going in one fountain without making a splash. Everyone began to clap as she finished her impromptu performance. Katara smiled. Pakku came up and patted her on the back.

"That was really good," her old master said, a proud smile on his face.

"Thanks," Katara said.

As the clapping died down, Pakku spoke to his students.

"I am glad to see you all are impressed by Master Katara and hope you look forward to having her here as much as I do. Okay, that is all we have for today. Don't forget to practice what we learned!"

The students all filed out of the igloo, their voices all mixing as they talked to each other. Pakku then turned back to Katara.

"That was my ten through thirteen year old class," he explained, "I think you'd find this class the most interesting to teach, since they already have some knowledge from their early days of waterbending, but still have a lot to learn."

"Thank you for inviting me Master Pakku. It'll be an honor helping you teach one of your classes," Katara said.

Pakku chuckled.

"The honor is all mine dear. I'm just glad to have a set of extra hands to help me out. My students can get pretty rowdy sometimes."

Katara laughed.

"So how many classes do you teach?" she then asked.

"I teach three main groups. The youngest group is mainly five through nine year olds. Then there is the ten through thirteen year old class as I said before. My last class is fourteen and up."

"And all the waterbenders were brought down from the North Pole?"

"Yes. We want to reestablish waterbending here in the South Pole, and since there are no other waterbenders besides you in the Southern Water Tribe, and you are traveling with the Avatar and your friends most of the time, we brought some down. And it's not like we can rely on you to completely repopulate the tribe with waterbender babies."

Intimate thoughts about Aang flooded into her head at the mention of babies, and Katara blushed.

"Yeah," she mumbled distractedly.

"Well, I better let you go. My next class is starting soon. I suppose I will see you at dinner?" Pakku said.

"Um, yeah. I'll see you then," Katara bowed, "Goodbye Master Pakku."

She hurried out of the igloo, running into a boy a few years older then her on the way out.

"Watch it," the boy growled at her. He had dark brown hair that was almost black. It was pulled back into a ponytail. His eyes were dark blue, almost indigo, like they were filled with the shadows. He had an unsettling demeanor about him, like that of an ocean right before a storm. It made Katara nervous.

"C'mon Yakone. Let's go," another boy called over.

"Coming Kassuq," the boy with the dark eyes grunted. He gave Katara one last look of contempt before stalking off after his friend.

Katara let out a breath she hadn't even been aware she was holding. There was something off about that boy called Yakone. She could not quite place her finger on it, but there was something evil lurking behind those dark eyes of his. "I'll ask Pakku about him later," she muttered to herself before walking off.

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"Yakone?" Pakku said as everyone ate dinner, "Yes, he is one of my students. Quite the waterbender too. His dad is actually part of the new council we have set up. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I just ran into him outside the waterbending center. There was something weird about him. I couldn't tell what, but something was off."

"Hmm," Pakku said, "Well, he does have the tendency to come off as menacing, but I've never had any problems with him."

"Okay. I was just wondering."

After dinner, Katara helped her Gran Gran clean the kitchen then she headed to her room. As she sat on her bed, she thought about what Pakku had said earlier. Not about Yakone, but about repopulation. He had said she could not repopulate an entire population of southern waterbenders, and Katara knew that, but after he said that, she thought of the Air Nation and how its entire existence hung by a thread. She knew Aang still grieved about that from time to time. She wanted the airbenders back for him, but how on earth was she supposed to repopulate an entire nation? Before she could think any more about it, a knock sounded on her door. She called for whoever had knocked to come in, and the very person she'd been thinking of walked into her room.

"Hey Katara," Aang said coming over and sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"Hey Aang," she said softly. Aang frowned.

"Is something wrong Katara?" he asked her, his voice filled with concern.

"I was just thinking," Katara said.

"About what?"

"The Air Nomads."

Aang fell silent. Then, he let out a small, "Oh."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," Katara said once she saw his face.

"No, no. It's fine. So, what about them exactly were you thinking?"

"How on earth I'm will be able to repopulate an entire nation."

Aang blushed at the mention of repopulation. He tried to fight off the sensual images threatening to invade his mind, and spoke.

"Katara, I don't expect you to be some _baby-making machine_! I don't expect you to repopulate the entire Air Nation, and I never have!"

"Well, you could get a-"

"Katara, I am not getting a harem!"

"But Aang! You need to bring back the Air Nomads!"

"No Katara. No. I don't care about that anymore. I mean, yeah, I love them and wish they were still here, but I also love you Katara. Do you remember when I went to visit that guru?"

Katara nodded.

"And you remember how I told you about chakras?"

Katara once again nodded.

"Well," Aang continued, "The Air Chakra is blocked by grief and opened by love. When I opened my Air Chakra, I saw the entire Air Nomad population before me. Then they began to disappear one by one into a puff of smoke. This smoke floated up into the air and formed your face. Guru Pathik told me love never truly leaves, but is simply reborn."

Aang took Katara's hands in his own.

"Katara," he said looking deep into her eyes, "You are an entire nation to me."

Katara felt tears fill her eyes, and one of Aang's hands reached to brush them away. He then pulled her into a loving and gentle kiss. When he pulled back, Katara spoke.

"I'll still try to have airbender babies," she said.

"I don't care if they are airbenders, waterbenders, or nonbenders as long as I get to have them with you," Aang said chuckling.

"Really?" Katara asked.

"Of course Katara. I love you and could not imagine starting a family with anyone else."

Oh Aang," Katara said. She pulled him into another kiss which Aang gladly returned.

 **Extra Author's Note: Hope you are liking this story so far as well. I hope for my inspiration for Avatar High to come back soon. When it does, I'll be sure to write and update that story. Once again, I know what I'm doing next, I just don't have the inspiration to write it yet. In the mean time, I hope you are enjoying this story. If you have friends who would like it, please spread the word. I'd like to try and get this one just as popular Avatar High and The Hidden Enemy. Anyways, as always, please, please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hey guys. Hope y'all are doing well. Oh, and I now know when I will update Avatar High (which has been on hiatus for a little while). I will update it during Christmas Break, which is in two weeks! Also, I have created an Instagram account specifically for my fanfiction. Instagram account: atla_fanfics. I will be posting updates, edits, and fanarts for my stories there, so if you'd like to follow it, feel free. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter of Blood In Then Snow. Please, please, please R &R (read and review) below!**

 **Disclaimer: I do no own Avatar The Last Airbender.**

Aang was shaken awake by a pair of rough hands. He groaned and groggily pushed away the hands. However, the person that stood behind these hands was persistent and only shook him harder. Finally Aang gave in and sat up in bed.

"What is it?" he said sleepily when he saw Sokka standing there, "And why are you up this early? You always sleep late."

"Not today I don't. Remember? My dad and me are taking you fishing today. In order to get back by the evening we gotta leave now."

Aang thought back to the day before and remembered how he, Sokka, and Hakoda had all had some man-to-man time. When Sokka and Hakoda had started talking about fishing and hunting, Aang had zoned out. At some point during that time, he must have absent mindedly agreed to going fishing with them.

"Sokka," Aang protested, "You know I don't eat meat, and that includes fish."

"I know Aang, and although I think it's pretty stupid, I respect that. You are just coming along to spend some more man-to-man time."

Aang groaned and tried to crawl back under the covers, but Sokka pulled the blanket off of him leaving Aang exposed to the cold South Pole air in just a pair of pants.

"C'mon Aang. Just get up already," Sokka nagged.

"Isn't it usually the other way around with me or Katara trying to drag _you_ out of bed?" Aang grumbled.

"Yeah, but not today. Fishing trips are one of the few exceptions to my sleeping patterns."

Aang rolled his eyes as he pulled on his usual one shoulder robe. He tied the sash around his waist then pulled on his puts. He then slipped on the parka he'd been given. As Sokka led him out of the room, Aang asked if he could at least say goodbye to Katara. Sokka sighed.

"Alright," the nonbender grumbled, "But make it quick and meet me and dad outside when you're done."

Aang thanked him before rushing off to Katara's room with speed only an airbender could acquire. When he got to her room, he quietly cracked open her door. As he slipped into her room, he disturbed Momo, who must have decided to bed down in Katara's room the previous night. Momo made irked chirping sounds at Aang, and Aang held his hands up, trying to calm the annoyed lemur.  
"Shhh. Momo! I'm sorry, okay? Please be quiet. Katara is sleeping!" Aang whispered to him. But it was too late. Katara had sat up in bed and was sleepily blinking her eyes at him.

"Aang? What are you doing?" she asked him languidly.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. I was just coming to see you before I left," Aang said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Before you left? What do you mean?" Katara asked him, now more awake.

"Apparently I unknowingly agreed to a fishing trip with your father and your brother," Aang explained.

"How long will you be gone?"

"Just for the day. We should be back in the evening."

"Oh," Katara said. She let out a small yawn and Aang smiled.

"Why don't you get back to bed?" he said, walking over to her and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Be careful," Katara mumbled drowsily, "Sometimes the water can get pretty rough."

"I will be. Don't worry. Now get some sleep. I'll see you this evening."

When Aang finally got outside, Sokka was impatiently tapping his foot by the door.

"It's about time," the older boy said. He then motioned for Aang to follow him.

"C'mon, dad's waiting for us down by the ocean with the canoe," Sokka told him. Aang hurried after him, his boots making footprints in the white blanket of snow that permanently covered the ground. Neither of the two boys talked at first, but then Sokka spoke.

"You know I do approve of you and Katara right?"

"Huh?" Aang said confused, "What do you mean?"

"I know sometimes I may seem disapproving of you and my sister dating, but I accept it. Heck, I even admire it. I mean, the way you care for her and protect her, its amazing honestly. I wish I was that good of a boyfriend to Suki. That maybe part of the reason I act the way I do. I guess I am just jealous that a guy three years younger than me knows how to take care of his girlfriend better than I do. I mean, my first girlfriend turned into the moon and I couldn't do anything about it. I know if you were in my place and it were Katara, you would have found a way to save her. I guess I just feel like I'll never be good enough." Sokka had stopped walking at this point and was now staring down at his feet. A stray tear fell down his face at the memory of Yue. It fell into the snow where it froze and turned into just another solidified water molecule.

"Sokka, what are you talking about? Of course you're good enough. Suki loves you for who you are. And we all make mistakes. And trust me, I know how you feel. Sometimes, I feel like I'm not a good enough boyfriend to Katara, no matter how many times she reassures me. But I know I love her and that's what's really important, isn't it?" Aang said walking over and laying a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I suppose so," Sokka said quietly. He then turned his head to Aang.

"And trust me, you are a great boyfriend to Katara. She loves you a lot. You know that right?"

"Yeah. And I love her."

"I know you do," Sokka said, clapping his younger friend on the back, his chipper mood back, "Take good care of my sister, okay?"

"Trust me, I will. I'll always take care of her, in this life, and the next."

Sokka shook his head, a small smile on his face.

"What?" Aang said.

"It's just your devotion to her, it really is incredible."

Aang rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, I love her," the avatar said blushing a little bit.

Sokka just smiled, happy his sister had such a loyal boyfriend to love and care for her.

"C'mon," the Water Tribe warrior then said, "My dad's probably wondering where we are."

When the two boys reached where Hakoda was with the canoe, the sun had finally started to makes an appearance, just peaking over the snow drifts and glaciers.

"Hey you two. Where have you been?" Hakoda said good-naturedly.

"Sorry dad. We were just talking about some stuff," Sokka replied.

"Well, how about we go ahead and push off. The fish won't wait for us!"

"Got it," Sokka said, beginning to help Hakoda untie the canoe.

"Aang, can you grab the fishing gear for me?" Hakoda asked.

"Hm? Oh, yes sir. I got it." Aang picked up the fishing poles, nets, and spears and put them in the canoe. It was a rather large canoe, built for three people. The fishing gear sat on the bottom of it alongside with a basket that must've been brought along to put any fish they caught in.

"Thanks Aang," Hakoda said, looking up from where he was helping Sokka. Sokka then climbed into the canoe as he and his dad finished untying the last knot. Hakoda followed Sokka and pushed off from the dock. Sokka handed Aang a paddle, motioning for him to follow his lead. Aang quickly got the hang of steering the canoe and soon enough, the dock was out of sight. They paddle a while before coming to stop. Hakoda set up the poles and baited them before casting the lines out into the water. He handed one to Sokka and knowing Aang's dislike of killing animals, took the other one himself. He handed Aang the basket, instructing him to hold it there so that when he or Sokka caught something, it could be placed in there. Then, the three sat back and waited.

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"Good Kaito! Good! You've got the hang of this now," Katara praised as the boy completed a waterbending maneuver. The boy grinned and bowed to Katara. Katara smiled and bowed back to him before moving on to help out another student. She found a girl in the back that seemed a bit distracted. Katara walked over to her.

"Hey, your name is Nukka, right?" Katara asked the girl who nodded in return.

"Okay then. Do you need any help Nukka?"

Nukka shook her head, her eyes focused on another point in the room. Katara followed her eyes and saw what, or more accurately, _who_ , Nukka was looking at. It was another boy in the class, Ikei if Katara remembered correctly from yesterday. Ikei looked over, and seeing Nukka looking at him, he grinned and waved. Nukka quickly looked away blushing. Katara saw this and smiled.

"Ah, I see what's going on here," Katara said to Nukka, who looked down at her feet.

"Nothing is going on," she squeaked.

"Hey, it's okay to like someone," Katara reassured the young girl, "It's completely normal." Katara then looked back at Ikei who was looking over at them, or more accurately, looking at Nukka.

"And it seems to me that he might feel the same way," Katara added smiling softly.

Nukka lifted her head.

"Really?" the girl asked softly.

"Yeah."

"So, what do I do?"

"Well, for now, I'd focus on becoming better friends with him. And it doesn't hurt to throw in some flirting," Katara said chuckling, "However, sometimes boys can be oblivious to the kind of stuff, so when the time is right, if you feel like you need to be the one to make the move, go ahead and do it."

"How will I know when it's the right time?"

"Trust me, you will," Katara said, smiling at the younger girl.

"Okay," the younger girl chirped, looking much happier now, "Thank you Master Katara."

"You're welcome Nukka," Katara said smiling, "Now how about you get to work on some waterbending techniques?

At the end of class, Katara walked out of the large igloo that the waterbending classes were held in and frowned, looking up at the dark clouds covering the clouds.

"Looks like a storm's coming," a voice remarked from behind her.

Katara turned, startled, and saw Yakone standing behind her, his dark eyes boring into her. She felt the same uneasy feeling she had gotten when she had first seen him yesterday creeping up under her skin.

"Yeah. What about it?" she said cautiously. Yakone smirked at her.

"Just wondering if you dad, brother, and boyfriend will make it back okay," he said in a way that showed he did not care one bit if they got back safely or not.

"They'll be fine," Katara said, trying to convince herself as well as Yakone. She knew storms in the South Pole could get pretty rough. Especially around the time of a full moon, and the first full moon was tonight.

"Are you sure they'll be fine? I mean, they aren't the strongest bunch of people. Your brother and dad are non-benders," Yakone stated, his smirk growing when he saw he was getting her riled up.

"Don't you dare talk about my father and brother like that!" Katara yelled, "They're stronger than you and both, unlike you, played a part in ending this war! My dad led all the Southern Water Tribe warriors against the Fire Nation and helped invade the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun! And my brother helped take down an entire airship fleet during Sozin's Comet! Also, they have Aang with them, and he is the avatar! So I'd say they are pretty prepared to take on a storm."

"So what if they have the avatar with them, I've always thought he was kind of weak anyways. Pfft, the guy couldn't even take the Firelord's life, even after the Fire Nation killed off his entire nation. He's an idiot for not killing the guy when he got the chance," Yakone said rolling his eyes.

At this point, Katara practically had steam billowing out her ears.

"How dare you…" she said trembling, "Do you have any idea how much you owe to him?! He ended a century old war! And he wasn't weak for not killing the Firelord. It just goes to show how much smarter he is than you to find a better way to end the war, a way that didn't involve more killing. And personally, I think that not killing Ozai is even braver than killing him. Aang risked everything in that one move to take away Ozai's bending! Killing was the easy way out! Also, have you not seen the work he's done since the war ended? He helped the world avoid another war between the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, established a city for people of all nations to live together in harmony in, and so much more! If you really think what you said is true, than you're the idiot Yakone!"

"Whatever," Yakone said, and began to walk away. Katara narrowed her eyes.

"Don't you walk away from me like that! I wasn't finished with you yet!" Katara yelled after him.

"Katara!"

"What?!" Katara turned, still furious. When she saw it was Pakku though, she calmed down a little.

"Oh, Master Pakku, it's you."

"Katara," Pakku said, his forehead creased with worry, "You need to come see this."

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"Um, Sokka? Chief- I mean, um, Hakoda? Should we start heading back now? The water seems to be getting pretty rough," Aang said. They had been out fishing all day, and had caught a lot. But, about an hour ago, the fish had stopped biting. Sokka and Hakoda were determined to catch a few more though, so they'd stayed out on the water in hopes of getting a fish to bite.

"We'll be fine Aang, just give us ten more minutes," Sokka said, focusing on the task he had at hand. Aang sighed and looked up at the sky. It was getting pretty dark out, and not the kind of dark that meant night was coming. It was the type of dark that signified the approach of a bad storm. Storms like the one Sokka had gotten caught in with that old fisherman back when they were traveling to the North Pole to learn waterbending, before the end of the war. Storms like the one that Aang had gotten caught in with Appa when he had run away from the Southern Air Temple. The one that ended with him being frozen in an iceberg for 100 years. Aang then looked down at the water, which was dark and churning. The waves were growing bigger and bigger with every minute and pieces of broken ice crashed against each other roughly.

"Sokka…"

"What Aang?"

"I really do think we should go ahead and start back to the village."

"Why?"

"Because! Look at the water Sokka! And look at the sky!"

Right when Aang said this, a big wave slapped against the side of the canoe, almost knocking Sokka and Hakoda overboard. Aang quickly grabbed both of them by the back of their parkas, saving them from completely losing their balance and falling into the freezing dark water. Their fishing poles however, were not so lucky. They fell into the water and were quickly seized by the angry ocean water, the waves carrying them away.

"Awe man! Not my fishing pole!" Sokka said. Hakoda however was now focused on the situation of the storm as he had finally noticed it. His brow furrowed.

"Aang's right Sokka," the chieftan said, "We need to get back, fast." Sokka immediately sobered at the sight of his dad's worry, and he grabbed a paddle. Hakoda grabbed the other one, then looked at Aang.

"Son, I want you to bend away any of the bigger waves that might tip the canoe, okay?" he said to the avatar.

Aang nodded.

"Yes sir, I can do that."

"Good. Sokka, start paddling."

The pony-tailed warrior nodded, and got to work. He and Hakoda maneuvered the canoe through the ice flow as best as they could while Aang sought to keep any and all dangerous waves heading for the three of them. The water grew more and more rough as they tried to get back to the village. A sudden wave that Aang couldn't stop as he was in the process of bending back a different one that had been approaching the front end of the canoe. It hit the canoe with a thud and water splashed into the bottom. Aang almost toppled over into the water, but regained his balance with the help of some airbending.

"Aang!" Hakoda shouted over the wind.

"Yeah?"

"Here," Hakoda tossed Aang a rope, "Tie this to the boat then tie it around your waist so if you fall, you won't be swept away!"

"Got it!" Aang said, catching the rope and bending down to tie it to the canoe as Sokka and Hakoda tied themselves in as well. He then started to tie the other end to himself. However, as he did this, a dark shadow fell over the canoe. Aang looked up just in time to see a massive swell of dark swirling water crashing down over them…

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Katara gasped as she approached the dock. The turbulent water rose up in huge waves all around the small wooden boating dock. She turned to Pakku with fear in her cerulean blue eyes.

"Pakku! They're still out there!"

"I know," Pakku said worrisomely. Katara looked back out on the billowing whitecaps.

"What do we do?" she whispered fearfully.

"We can do nothing but wait and hope they make it back safely," Pakku answered, laying a hand on his granddaughter shoulder.

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Aang felt the freezing cold water close in all around him. As he was swept along he felt the rope that he had not finished tying around his waist loosen and come undone. The rough water held him tightly in its grasp, tossing him and turning him like a rag doll. All Aang could do was hold his breath as he was carried mercilessly through the cold, dark water. Suddenly, his head broke through the surface, and Aang was able to gulp in some air. He looked around, searching for the canoe among the rough waters, but saw no sign of it. Aang could only hope that Sokka and Hakoda were okay.

Aang's thoughts were not able to last long as the current dragged him back down under.

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As the wave crashed down on them, Hakoda and Sokka looked at each other in fear. The freezing water surged over them and they barely had time to grab a breath before it did. They felt the water try and pull them out of the canoe, but the ropes they had tied around themselves and the canoes held, and kept them from being swept away. When the wave had crashed and left them spitting out ocean water and shivering, Sokka noticed Aang was no longer in the boat. Panic rushed through his veins.

"Dad!"

"What is it Sokka?" Hakoda said, trying to stop shivering.

"Aang's gone!"

Hakoda's eyes widened as he realized the absence of the third boy.

"Oh no…"

"He must have not been able to tie the rope around him in time!" Sokka said anxiously.

"Do you see him anywhere in the water?"

"No."

The two looked desperately around, trying to spot any sign of the avatar in the rough waters. That's when Sokka saw it. A piece of red among dark blue. Aang's sash.

"Dad…" Sokka said, reaching into the water and pulled the soaked piece of cloth out, "It's Aang's sash…"

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"There they are!" Katara shouted, seeing the canoe a couple hundred yards away from the dock.

"Let's get them in safely!" Pakku said. Both got into a waterbending stance, and taking a deep breath, started to create a push pull movement that would create a wave to bring the canoe in. When it began to work and the canoe got closer, Katara could make out the faces of her father in brother. She frowned, worry creeping up under her skin. Where was Aang?

Finally, the canoe reached the dock, and Pakku ran over to help the two back onto solid ground. Katara stood there, dread taking over her body as her brother came over to her, a devastated look in his eyes. He pulled out a piece of soaked red cloth and handed it to her. Katara closed her eyes tightly when she recognized what it was.

"No…" she said brokenly.

"I'm sorry Katara, we couldn't see him anywhere."

"How could you let this happen?!" Katara screamed at her brother, causing him to flinch.

"Katara, there wasn't anything we could do. There was a huge wave and it overtook us. Aang- he- he was knocked out of the boat."

"No…no no no. He can't be gone! We have to go back out there and find him!"

"Katara…" Hakoda said, coming over to lay a hand on his daughter's shoulder. Katara flinched away from him.

"No. Don't touch me. How could you let this happen dad! Aang, he's, he's gone!"

The girl began to sob as her dad wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm so sorry Katara. I'm so, so sorry."

But as he dad hugged her, Katara opened her eyes and through her tears, saw a flash of a face in the ocean. Her eyes widened.

"Aang!" Katara pulled out of her father's tight hold and rushed to the edge of the dock.

"Katara, I think your imagining things," Sokka said soflty, walking over to his sister. But when Katara saw the head sticking out above the water a second time, there was no mistaking it. It was Aang, trying desperately to keep his head above the water.

"Spirits, it is him," Sokka whispered, seeing the boy out in the waves.

"I'm going to go get him," Katara said, determinedly.

"Wait, what?!" Sokka said. But before he could stop her, Katara had bent a board of ice and was using her waterbending to surf across the water towards Aang.

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Aang was had completely lost feeling in his lower extremities and was beginning to lose the feeling in his upper ones as well. He knew once that happened though, if he wasn't rescued yet, he would be a goner. His breathing had slowed considerably, and he was violently shivering. When he heard someone shouting his name, he thought he was hallucinating.

"Aang!"

There it was again. Aang struggled to turn his head towards the sound and what he saw filled him with happiness. It was Katara, rushing over to him on a board of ice. As she approached him, Aang knew he was not hallucinating. It was really her. Katara used waterbending to extend her board of ice, then pulled Aang out of the water onto it.

"Katara," he managed to say through the violent shivering and chills.

"Shhh. I'm going to get you back to shore Aang. It's going to be okay," Katara said as she situated him on the ice board so that he was held close to her with one arm and she was able to use the other one to waterbend them back to shore. However, just as they began to reach the dock, a huge wave came out of nowhere and slammed into both of them. Cold water enveloped the two, and Aang could no longer feel his arms. Darkness edged into his vision and he felt Katara's hold on him tighten and they popped up for air. A pair of strong arms then pulled both of them out of the water and on to solid ground. The last thing Aang saw before blacking out was Katara's eyes staring worriedly into his own.

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Warmth. It surrounded Aang's body, a striking difference from the intense cold he'd felt earlier. He slowly opened his eyes and took in the room around him. He was on a cot with a large amount of blankets piled on top of him. A fire flickered in the corner of the room. His eyes looked over to the other side of the room and landed on a familiar face.

"Katara."

Katara looked up, and seeing he was awake, rushed over to Aang.

"You're awake!" she said, tackling the blanketed boy in a hug. Aang hugged her back as tight as he could through all the blankets.

"Yeah," he said, running his hands through her hair, "I'm awake." When Katara finally pulled away to look at him, Aang tried to get out from under the blankets. He stopped however when Katara put a hand to his chest.

"Katara?" he said quizzically.

"Uh, you might not want to get out from under the blankets right now. Your sorta, um, well, you're not clothed. At all," Katara said, a heavy blush spreading across her face.

"Oh," Aang said, his face reddening as well. He looked to be thinking for a minute then spoke.

"You didn't…"

"No," Katara said, knowing what he was about to ask and her face growing even more warm, "One of our male doctors did."

"Oh. Okay," Aang said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. Then he noticed that she was rather lacking in a lot of clothing as well. All Katara wore was a robe, and Aang was pretty sure there was nothing under it either.

"Um, Katara?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you… um…"

Just when Katara thought her face couldn't get anymore red, it did.

"Yeah… when that wave overtook us, well, yeah. The doctors wanted to prevent hypothermia so they made me, um, undress."

"Oh," Aang said, his face also growing warmer then he thought it could.

At that moment a healer came into the room. Her face brightened when she saw Aang was awake.

"Ah! You're awake! That is good! I'll fetch the doctor immediately," the lady said, a smile on her face. She then rushed out of the room. Katara gave Aang a small smile.

"How about I go fetch you some clothes?" she said.

"That'd be good," Aang said, chuckling embarrassedly. Katara planted a quick, but loving kiss on his lips before leaving the room, leaving Aang to wonder how he'd gotten so lucky to have Katara as his girlfriend.


End file.
